The jury in the Thomas G. Stanko homicide trial is returning to the courtroom now after about four hours of deliberations.
Westmoreland County Judge Michael Stewart delivered final instructions to the jurors this morning before they moved to private deliberations just after noon. The panel is considering charges of first-degree murder, third-degree murder and reckless burning related to the arson of Cassandra Gross’ SUV.
Stanko, 55, of Unity, faces a mandatory life sentence without parole if convicted of first-degree murder.
Nearly every seat in Westmoreland County’s ceremonial courtroom is filled ahead of closing arguments.
— Rich Cholodofsky (@RichCholodofsky) February 11, 2026
Nearly every seat in the Greensburg courtroom was filled as attorneys offered their final pleas.
Defense attorney Marc Daffner provided a 25-minute closing, arguing that the district attorney failed to meet the burden of proof. While Daffner conceded that Gross, 51, is likely deceased, he maintained that the prosecution’s case was built on assumptions rather than evidence.
“None of this shows he did anything to Cassandra Gross,” Daffner told the jury. “It’s not up to us to solve this mystery… sometimes if you don’t find something, it’s because it was never there.”
Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar countered with a 70-minute argument, outlining a meticulous cover-up. The prosecution’s theory suggests Stanko killed Gross on April 7, 2018, moved her body to his mother’s property the following morning, and was forced to burn her SUV near Twin Lakes Park after a downed tree blocked his path.
“The murder of Cassandra Gross was a possessive act that made her his forever,” Lazar told the jury, describing Stanko as a man who destroyed every piece of evidence he could.
The jury’s decision follows Tuesday’s testimony where Stanko took the stand in his own defense, denying any involvement in the disappearance of his former girlfriend. Gross was legally declared dead in 2019, but her remains have never been found.
